Tim O'Brien - Chameleon
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Free Music Notes for Chameleon
Free Music Review: A Chameleon Indeed
Hit: 4 Stars
I have to say that Tim O'Brien's album is a bit of a chameleon. The use of antique instruments led me to think the music would have a bit of a historical flare a la Bruce Springsteen's Seeger Seesions, but not really. O'Brien's album had more of a modern folk quality mostly due to the lyrics which taken on the current political and cultural climate at times.
I also found Tim O'Brien to have a voice that isn't at all unlike Jimmy Buffett's. That isn't a bad thing, but it led my mind to expect more Jimmy Buffett like music than Tim O'Brien.
Thus, I think the Chameleon title comes through. Never-the-less, Tim O'Brien does have talent. Get past the pre-listening expectations and initial listen expectations, the song writing is fantastic. It has a folk-country sound that echoes to Bob Dylan's talent (although not nearly as good). Then again, Tim O'Brien's voice is much easier to listen too.
When you put it all together, and give it a few listens, Tim O'Brien emerges from the background... The chameleon is visible, and you have an artist that stands out with an album that isn't bad at all.
Free Music Review: If There's Any Justice
Hit: 5 Stars
If there's any justice in the recording industry (and I have my doubts) Chameleon is going to take the Best Folk Recording of 2008. "Chameleon" is a CD worth owning. Download tracks if you must, but this CD is of a whole, and it hits all the right notes. According to the liner notes, Tim O'Brien took his instruments (and he plays a lot of them at virtuoso level) and a bunch of song ideas into the woodshed and didn't come out until he had this recording. Time well spent.
"Chameleon" kicks off with a bluesy guitar riff that gets you bouncing from the first few bars. I'm put in the mind of Leon Redbone but with more ooomph. In fact there are a number of cuts on this CD that remind me of other artists: Norman Blake, Tom Paxton, and even the great John Prine, but the tunes are derivative in only the best sense that this is rooted American music that builds on tradition. That may account for the title, Mr. O'Brien might change his colors, but he remains a lizard throughout.
Mr. O'Brien is also just a little ticked off at the state of the world, and the individual cupidity that keeps things running down. Hence the Tom Paxton influence. Politics with a humorous edge - good for kids and adults.
It's not often I'm able to give anything a whole-hearted recommendation, but "Chameleon" is one of the few gems out there that shines in any light.
Buy it! Buy the whole thing! You'll like it.
Free Music Review: Chameleon's Blend in, but Tim O'Brien Stands Out
Hit: 5 Stars
Tim O'Brien is one of those musicians who seems to love writing music and it all seems to come naturally. He does all his arrangements and lyrics himself. The inside booklet states that most songs "start with him and an instrument and last summer he loaded up his hillbilly apparatus of guitars, mandolins, banjos, etc." into producer Gary Paczosa's garage in Tennessee and played the sixteen songs until finished.
Chameleon starts with an acoustic mellow song "Where Love Comes From" then goes into a tad more upbeat but still acoustical "Hoss Race". Track 4 "Red Dog In The Morning" has a more country/folkish sound then comes "Phantom Phone Call" which sounds like a song that should have been on the O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack with it's fiddles.
Tim definitely displays a wide rang of musical talents, writing everything on the album. The self-titled song "Chameleon" was David Onley's idea. which is a more up-beat catchy sing-a-long type and O'Brien states that he named the album after a Chameleon his family got when he was young which got lost and stayed that way until his brother later found it on the back of the TV, and he liked the idea of "blending in".
Free Music Review: Americana, Pure & Simple
Hit: 4 Stars
Americana, pure and simple. Really an enjoyable selection from one of the best artists around. This is the music that plays in ten thousand places - from Buffalo to Atalanta to Tulsa to Santa Fe to Austin to Portland, pure and clear as the blue southwestern sky. Give O'Brien a listen. You'll soon be a believer.Free Music Review: Love it!
Hit: 4 Stars
What a great album! I had never heard of Tim O'Brian before and had absolutely no expectations. The cover was cool if not a bit cliche; however, the album itself is a complete original. His voice is one-of -a-kind, and the nostalgic undertones are irresistable.
My favorite track was "Red Dog in the Morning", although "Safe in Your Arms" is a clode second. I have never reviews an album before, so I don;t know what else to say except I will be checking out other works by this artist as well. Recommended!